A week later, Ginny woke up in her own bed next to the sleeping form of one Dean Thomas.

Sighing heavily, she decided to take a shower and went into her bathroom.

After closing the door, she pointed her wand at the shower, causing the water to start flowing at her favourite temperature. She stepped under the spray and sighed contentedly: hot water had a way of calming her like nothing else could. She could feel her muscles relaxing and started to wash her red hair. After all the suds were rinsed out of her hair she closed her eyes and enjoyed the water fully.

That’s when the door opened.

Ginny tensed instantly and covered herself to best of her ability. “Dean! What are you doing in here?” she asked with panic plainly obvious in her voice.

“I thought I’d join my girlfriend for a shower,” he said nonchalantly. “Why are you so freaked out? It’s nothing either of us hasn’t seen before!” He chuckled after dropping his pants.

Ginny suddenly realised that she was being silly. They had showered together many times before this – enjoyed it even. She couldn’t, however, help but feel that something was off. She pushed the thoughts from her mind and moved over so that Dean could get in with her.

“Right,” she said while shaking her head. “Sorry I’m just feeling a little weird today.”

Dean got in and wrapped his arms around her naked body. “Its okay, no harm done!” he smiled and gave her a quick kiss before turning to the water and wetting his own body.

Her mind drifted to her conversation with Hermione the previous week. She hadn’t spoken to Harry since, and she also hadn’t spoken to Dean about her feelings. Every time she would want to, he seemed either to happy or he was having a very bad day, so she couldn’t bring herself to talk to him about it.

“Ginny, would you mind washing my back for me?” Dean asked, handing her the bar of soap. He chuckled, “Can’t seem to reach all the way back today.”

Ginny took the soap without saying anything, but hesitated before starting on his back. Her hands were trembling, and she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. She dropped the soap, and got out of the shower quickly.

“I can’t, I’m sorry,” she said as she got to the far corner of the room.

“Ginny, what’s going on? It’s just my back...” Dean stopped midsentence, looking questioningly at the redhead that was covering herself with a towel as if her life depended on it. “You’re not yourself; haven’t been for the last few days, in fact.”

Ginny spoke quickly, looking at the floor as she spoke. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore.”

Dean looked much taken aback at her words. He got out of the shower and shut off the water with his wand. “What? Ginny, where is this coming from? We’ve showered together more than once.” he said as he walked towards her. Suddenly it dawned on him- she wasn’t talking about the shower. “What can’t you do anymore?” he asked gently.

Ginny put a hand on his chest to stop him coming towards her. She took a towel off the rack beside her, and handed it to him. “Please don’t make this any harder than it is already, Dean. I just c-can’t be with you anymore,” she said, trying in vain to stop her tears.

“WHERE is this coming from?” Dean asked again, while putting his hands on either sides of Ginny’s face. “What did I do?” he asked, his voice cracking at the end of his question.

Ginny turned her head and walked out of the bathroom. “You didn’t do anything, Dean, I just can’t be with you anymore,” she quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a random shirt. She didn’t want to do this while she was half naked.

Dean stormed out of the bathroom, “Why can’t you be with me anymore? At least answer me that!”

Ginny sat down on her bed and looked at Dean. She never wanted to do it this way, but she supposed it had to happen. Thinking again of her conversation with Hermione, she tried to formulate something to say

Dean was getting frustrated. “GINNY, ANSWER ME!” he pleaded.

“I’m not happy anymore,” she almost whispered.

Dean looked almost confused at her remark, “What?”

Ginny wiped the tears off her cheeks, “I said I’m not happy with you anymore.”

Dean sat down next to her and took her hands into his own. “Ginny, don’t be ridiculous. We’re happy!” his eyes were glistening with tears he was trying to hold back. “I love you, Ginny. We’re happy!”

Ginny pulled her hands from his and covered her face. “You see, thing is? We’re not happy anymore, you only think weare. We fight almost every day,” she said sadly

Dean looked at his feet. “Why are you doing this to me, I love you.” His voice sounded hollow.

Ginny started sobbing at his words. “I l-love you too, and I know what I said, but don’t you think it’s odd that we haven’t even been missing it?”

“That’s not a good enough reason,” He looked at her again and pulled her hands from her face. “Don’t do this to me, Ginny! If you love me, WHY are you breaking up with...” he took a deep breath to calm himself – his tears were threatening to get the best of him, “Why are you breaking up with me?”

“When was the last time that you called me beautiful?” Ginny asked suddenly.

Dean shook his head. “What does that have to do with anything?” he asked incredulously. “I love you, Ginny. I want you by my side forever!” he sobbed.

Ginny looked him in the eye and smiled ruefully. “You love the idea of me, D. I’m breaking up with you because I love you. I don’t want you to be in a relationship where you have to put up with someone that doesn’t reciprocate your feelings entirely,” she said. “And I don’t want to have to put myself through that either.”

Dean shook his head, “I’m not leaving you; I’m not my father! We’ll get through this, we’ll... We’ll see a therapist!” his tears spilled over, and his voice failed him.

Ginny shook her head, “A therapist? One of those muggles that seem to think they understand what we’re going through?” she winced suddenly. “Dean, you’re hurting me,” he was gripping her hands too tightly, and it was starting to hurt. “Dean, you’re hurting me!”

He seemed to realise this after she exclaimed the second time. He let go of her hands and walked over to their – now her – dresser. He pulled a shirt and a pair of pants on, and walked towards the door.

Ginny was still sitting on her bed, crying. “Where are you going?” she asked suddenly aware of his need to get out of the house. “Dean!” he was ignoring her.

After he wrenched the door open she ran to him. “Talk to me, Dean!”

He kept walking. They were outside her apartment now and several feet apart. He turned to face her. “What do you want me to say!” he shouted at her, causing her to stop dead in her tracks.

“Just...” she started to say something but he cut her off. “Do you want me to say that I’m happy you’re leaving me, hmm? Do you want me to say that I’m as relieved as you seem to be for getting rid of me?” he hadn’t lowered his voice.

She was crying profusely now, “That’s not true, it’s not even what I said, or meant” her voice was weak and muffled by her tears.

“Well you could have fooled me!” he shouted back at her, taking a step closer to her. “I thought you loved me,” he paused and added a little softer “I thought you cared about me, but I guess I was wrong.”

A door opened behind the two, and Ginny looked around to see a concerned Harry looking at the scene from his front door. “What’s going on here?” he asked while hiding the wand in his right hand.

Ginny wiped the tears from her face, “Nothing, Harry. Please just go back inside.”

Harry didn’t falter; he stepped out of his apartment, keeping a wary eye on Dean. “It sure as hell didn’t sound like nothing.”

“So, this is why?!” Dean spat at Ginny.

Ginny’s head snapped back to him. “No! Dean, this is just between you and me. Harry had nothing to do with It.” she couldn’t help but notice her mind telling her that in some small way, Harry was part of it. He’s the one that made her realise that she was unhappy. She wasn’t about to tell Dean that, though.

“Don’t lie to me, Ginny. I saw the way you were looking at him that night in the muggle shop back in London - Couldn’t keep your hands to yourself after that, of course.”

Ginny felt as if Dean had slapped her through her face. Harry stepped in front of her defensively. “Don’t you dare talk to her that way!” his voice was cold with fury. “She would never cheat on you.”

Dean looked murderous. “You know what,” he said as he threw his hands into the air, “you can have her. The little slut...” he started but never got to finish his sentence.

“EXPULSO!” Harry cried, and the patch of lawn in front of Dean exploded with a force that sent him flying backwards to land in the street on his back. “Call her that again, and I won’t miss.” Harry was shaking with fury as he said this.

Dean sat up with his eyes wide. “YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!” he shouted incredulously.

Harry nodded, not even lowering his wand slightly. “I s’pose you’re right. I could have.” he said coldly. Dean stood up shakily and disapparated without another word. He turned around to find Ginny with her hands covering her mouth – shock written all over her features.

He closed the gap between them and wrapped her in a tight hug. “Are you okay?”

She felt numb, and couldn’t really comprehend what had just happened. Pulling back slightly to look him in the eyes, she said: “Honestly?” her voice sounding as fragile as she looked, “No.”

Her body started to shake with sobs and Harry held her without saying a word. He rubbed her back gently with his one hand as a gesture of comfort. “I know this sounds rather daft, but it’s going to be okay,” he whispered into her ear. “He didn’t deserve you.”

She nodded weakly and he pulled back, only to put an arm around her and lead her back to her apartment. She suddenly froze as she realised where he was leading her. Noticing her reluctance Harry paused and asked “What’s wrong, Ginny?”

Looked him in the eye and a tear rolled down her cheek. “C-could we not g-go into my apartment, please? I d-don’t want to be reminded of what just happened.” she finished, looking exhausted.

“Of course,” Harry said gently. He pulled her door closed and led her into his own apartment, sitting her down on his couch where they had been so happy only a week ago. He conjured up a piece of parchment and a self-inking quill and scribbled a note onto it very quickly.

“What’s that?” she asked; her voice thick.

“Just a note to say I’m not going in to work today. You need me here,” he said as if it should have been obvious. Usually she would have protested, but she only felt herself nod as a weak ‘okay’ escaped her lips.

After sending the note to the Auror’s office via his owl, Hedwig, Harry went into the kitchen to mix a glass of sugar water. As he sat down to give it to Ginny, who gave a muttered ‘thank you’, he pulled her over so that her head was resting on his shoulder.

“You do this for all the girls who break up with their boyfriends in front of you?” she asked, noticing that the water was indeed helping.

“Only the redheads. I’ve always had a bit of a weakness, you see,” he joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. Her mouth twitched but didn’t quite turn into the smile he had been expecting. Ginny closed her eyes. “Don’t make me laugh. I don’t ever want to laugh again.” she said bitterly.

“Right. Depressing and Humourless from now on, got it!” he joked again.

“Git,” she chuckled. After most of her tears had disappeared, she said “I really shouldn’t be doing this, Harry”

Harry raised an eyebrow at her remark. “Laughing at stupid jokes with a friend?” he asked.

“Be here with you,” she said humourlessly. “I’ve just broken up with my boyfriend and now here I am on my male neighbour’s couch taking advantage of his hospitality and ruining his shirt with my tears.” she said the word as if it had offended her. “I never cry. Well – I never used to.”

“I don’t mind, really,” he said. “I like your company, albeit humourless and depressing as Azkaban on a rainy day. You’re welcome any time,” he added as an afterthought. Harry wanted to throw something in there about her being beautiful and that Dean was a right prick to have acted that way, but decided it was too early to say things like that.

“He didn’t mean it, you know.” she said, as if she had been reading his thoughts. “Dean, I mean.”

Harry snorted at this, “So it was sarcasm I heard when he called you... well... when he called you that.” Harry tried and failed to disguise the disgust in his voice. “No man should ever have to call a woman that.”

“He’s just really sensitive about the whole breaking up thing,” she said. “His father left his mother when he was still pretty young. Sure he’s got a great step-dad now, but I don’t think he really ever got over it.”

“I guess I can see where he came from. That doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s any less of a git.” he said darkly.

“You going to forgive him? Take him back, I mean,” he asked, hoping genuinely that she would shake her head.

“No,” she said simply. Harry let out the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. “I hope you don’t see this as insensitive or anything, but what happened?” he asked suddenly very sombre.

Ginny shook her head at the question. “I don’t mind,” she paused to clear her throat. “It’s been coming for a while, to be perfectly honest. We kind of grew apart, I guess.” her voice was regaining some strength now.

“So I take it he hadn’t noticed this?” Harry asked.

“Nope, he thought everything was fine between us. So when I woke up this morning to take a shower and he joined me – don’t look so shocked, we were a couple for more than a year – I realised that I wasn’t comfortable with him that way anymore,” she said honestly. “I don’t think that should have been my thoughts if we were fine.”

“Then you decided you had to tell him, I take it,” Harry said.

She nodded in the affirmative. “I told him that I couldn’t let him be with someone that doesn’t feel about him the way he feels about her anymore, and he kind of... exploded. You shouldn’t have interfered, though. I could have handled it myself.”

“I’m sorry about that. I just hated the way he was yelling at you, and I guess I kind of... exploded.” he said, using her words.

“I should probably let Hermione know. She told me to do it about a week ago,” she sighed.

“Hermione Granger?” he asked confused, though he quickly realised it should have been obvious. “Of course, she’s going out with your brother,” he said to no one in particular.

“Yes, that’s her. I went to her that day after you moved in,” she decided not to mention that is was his fault she had gone there, “and she gave me some advice on the whole ‘Dean’ situation.”

“You want to floo her?” he asked, rather hoping she wouldn’t want to leave. To his relief, she nodded and got up to stick her head into the green fire to talk to her friend. Harry grinned to himself despite the situation he found himself in.

A/N

Hi guys,

Just wanted to thank every one of you that has read so far, and I'd like to encourage you to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review!